Another group of fifth graders have been promoted to middle school and summer break here I come! It is always sad to see my students go each year, but I am also excited for the new experiences that are awaiting them in middle school! To end our year with a bang, today (the last day of school), my students filmed their 2nd WBT YouTube video submission! They did a fantastic job and really showed growth from our first submission. You can view our video at http://youtu.be/ujiplAs7FM8
As you head out on your summer break, make sure that you add WBT to your weekly schedule! Make sure you check out the website http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/, the forum, the WBT TV video segments each week or in the archives, and WBT teachers/interns blogs. You will be amazed at all the new WBT tidbits you will learn!
Have a safe and happy summer break!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
One week and counting.....
Again, I am amazed at how fast time flies by and before you know it, the end of the year is here!! As the last week of school is upon us, we are scrambling to get everything done and completed! Every year, there seems to be more activities that are added to the last few weeks of school! We have already completed our Reading Carnival, field trip, Cinco De Mayo celebration, Fly-in, Science Fair, AR goal-getter bowling party, middle school visit, MAP movie and park rewards, BMX assembly, talent show, and our yearly track meet!! Whew....and we still have writing our memoirs, Promotion Ceremony, Awards assembly, and filming our final WBT video!!!!
As the school year comes to a close, it is a good time for the students to take a walk through their Data Notebooks and reflect on their year! What were their goals for 4th quarter? Did they meet their goal? If so, WAY TO GO! If not, why not? What could they have done differently to meet the goal? Did WB strategies help them throughout the year? Individually and as a class? What structures were the most beneficial? This is a great activity, as I have had past students come back to me and tell me they wish middle school teachers would use WBT, as it really helped them learn, especially in areas of school they struggled with!!!
I am excited for summer break and to have the opportunity to relax and reflect as well! I am looking forward to attending WBT conference in MO with my grade level, too!
As the school year comes to a close, it is a good time for the students to take a walk through their Data Notebooks and reflect on their year! What were their goals for 4th quarter? Did they meet their goal? If so, WAY TO GO! If not, why not? What could they have done differently to meet the goal? Did WB strategies help them throughout the year? Individually and as a class? What structures were the most beneficial? This is a great activity, as I have had past students come back to me and tell me they wish middle school teachers would use WBT, as it really helped them learn, especially in areas of school they struggled with!!!
I am excited for summer break and to have the opportunity to relax and reflect as well! I am looking forward to attending WBT conference in MO with my grade level, too!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Countdown......3....2....1.....TESTING!
Where does the time go? A few weeks ago, it seemed like we had plenty of time to MAP prep and review those concepts that students are still struggling with and need a little extra time practicing. Well.....time flies and the time is here! A few more days and my students will begin the test! We have worked hard all year long, our WBT strategies are in place, and now it is my students time to shine!
After three weeks of testing, there will be one month left of the current school year! Summer fever has already hit the students, as our winter was so mild! But no fear, WBT is here to help keep those students focused and learning all the way to the end of the school year! The Super Improvers Wall will be in full swing, as well as, having student leaders for our daily procedures and routines! PROVE IT! has proved to be a great MAP prep review strategy that is used on a daily basis. Lastly, my class will be polishing up their WBT video!
For more information on any of the WBT pieces, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
After three weeks of testing, there will be one month left of the current school year! Summer fever has already hit the students, as our winter was so mild! But no fear, WBT is here to help keep those students focused and learning all the way to the end of the school year! The Super Improvers Wall will be in full swing, as well as, having student leaders for our daily procedures and routines! PROVE IT! has proved to be a great MAP prep review strategy that is used on a daily basis. Lastly, my class will be polishing up their WBT video!
For more information on any of the WBT pieces, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Testing, Testing, Testing.....
Well, we are getting to that time of year, when the BIG MAP test is right around the corner. Our classes are finishing up their rotations and fifth grade is getting ready for the MAP prep rounds! Benchmark tests have been given and data has been processed. The teachers are now ready to tackle those problem areas and fill in the gaps using best practices for test-taking.
Best Practice #1: PROVE IT--This WBT strategy is a very quick,easy, and effective way to take a regular multiple choice question and take your students' thinking to a higher level by justifying not only the right answer, but also why the other choices are wrong.
If you have not tried PROVE IT in your classroom, give it a whirl. Start small with a few questions for a morning assigment. Then before you know it, you will be using PROVE IT on your entire test! For more information, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Best Practice #1: PROVE IT--This WBT strategy is a very quick,easy, and effective way to take a regular multiple choice question and take your students' thinking to a higher level by justifying not only the right answer, but also why the other choices are wrong.
If you have not tried PROVE IT in your classroom, give it a whirl. Start small with a few questions for a morning assigment. Then before you know it, you will be using PROVE IT on your entire test! For more information, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
You never know.....
You never know when the opportunity is going to arise to share about Whole Brain Teaching and how it will change you, as a teacher, your classroom environment, and your student engagement!
Last week, I attended the Powerful Learning Conference, along with 1,400 other professional educators from around the state of Missouri. The focus of this years conference was From Vision to Results. These days, who isn't thinking about assessments, data, and results? The keynote speaker the first day posed a question asking us to think about how does the learning cycle change from the beginning of the year to the end? Most people shared that at the beginning of the school year, teachers and students are refreshed from the summer break, have spent time planning, and are ready to head back into the classroom for a wonderful year of learning! Time on task is high and then before you know it, it is Christmas break. As everyone comes back from break and winter sets in, the motivation seems to become less and less and stress becomes higher and higher, as the high stakes tests are right around the corner.
As I was sharing with the person sitting beside me, I said that I had to disagree because I use Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom and I believe that this structure keeps learning and student engagement high at all times throughout the school year. So, the person next to me asks,"Have you heard of Chris Biffle?" I had to smile and say, "Oh yes! I am a WBT Intern for this school year, so I do know Chris Biffle!" I learned about WBT at the PLC conference 2 years ago and the presenter of that class was sitting in front of us and heard us talking. Professional development conferences and opportunities allow us to share great examples like Whole Brain Teaching and how it can work in your classroom to increase student achievement and engagement! Presenters at these conferences always wonder if what they shared really had an impact and this story shows that PD can change teacher behaviors and improve student learning! The presenter was excited to hear that his session did make an impact on a teacher and student learning!
Lastly, at the last keynote speaker session, I sat next to a group of teachers from a district not too far from my district. We were talking about the PLC structures and how her district had yet to implement these structures, so that's why they were here to learn more about PLC. As the conversation moved on, she asked about how do you keep your students motivated at this time of the year? She shared that her students struggled and one of the areas was basic facts........Smiling, I said, "I have the program for you...have you heard of Whole Brain Teaching?" She had not...well....write this website down.www.wholebrainteaching.com and look at SuperSpeed for basic facts.....of course, she said, "how much does it cost?" and gladly I replied, "It's all FREE!!!" So, as you can see...you never know.....so be ready and the WBT fire will begin to spark in another teachers' eyes...and watch out as it is nurtured and grows!
By the way Coach Biffle.....John Lewis from RPDC in MO says to tell you hello!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Last week, I attended the Powerful Learning Conference, along with 1,400 other professional educators from around the state of Missouri. The focus of this years conference was From Vision to Results. These days, who isn't thinking about assessments, data, and results? The keynote speaker the first day posed a question asking us to think about how does the learning cycle change from the beginning of the year to the end? Most people shared that at the beginning of the school year, teachers and students are refreshed from the summer break, have spent time planning, and are ready to head back into the classroom for a wonderful year of learning! Time on task is high and then before you know it, it is Christmas break. As everyone comes back from break and winter sets in, the motivation seems to become less and less and stress becomes higher and higher, as the high stakes tests are right around the corner.
As I was sharing with the person sitting beside me, I said that I had to disagree because I use Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom and I believe that this structure keeps learning and student engagement high at all times throughout the school year. So, the person next to me asks,"Have you heard of Chris Biffle?" I had to smile and say, "Oh yes! I am a WBT Intern for this school year, so I do know Chris Biffle!" I learned about WBT at the PLC conference 2 years ago and the presenter of that class was sitting in front of us and heard us talking. Professional development conferences and opportunities allow us to share great examples like Whole Brain Teaching and how it can work in your classroom to increase student achievement and engagement! Presenters at these conferences always wonder if what they shared really had an impact and this story shows that PD can change teacher behaviors and improve student learning! The presenter was excited to hear that his session did make an impact on a teacher and student learning!
Lastly, at the last keynote speaker session, I sat next to a group of teachers from a district not too far from my district. We were talking about the PLC structures and how her district had yet to implement these structures, so that's why they were here to learn more about PLC. As the conversation moved on, she asked about how do you keep your students motivated at this time of the year? She shared that her students struggled and one of the areas was basic facts........Smiling, I said, "I have the program for you...have you heard of Whole Brain Teaching?" She had not...well....write this website down.www.wholebrainteaching.com and look at SuperSpeed for basic facts.....of course, she said, "how much does it cost?" and gladly I replied, "It's all FREE!!!" So, as you can see...you never know.....so be ready and the WBT fire will begin to spark in another teachers' eyes...and watch out as it is nurtured and grows!
By the way Coach Biffle.....John Lewis from RPDC in MO says to tell you hello!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The New Year!
The New Year has arrived and Missourians are wondering "where is winter?" Our temperatures have been very mild and we have only received a dusting of snow twice, which has resulted in only ONE snow day! I say YEAH, but my teammates don't agree so much!
School is back in session and we are headed towards the middle of third quarter already! Man, time sure does fly when you're having such a great time! Our first of the year professional development was AWESOME! Andrea came and presented to the elementary school faculty all the ins and outs of Whole Brain Teaching! It took awhile for the faculty to warm-up to WBT and all it has to offer, but by the end of the day, Andrea had won over our building! The next day in our building, you could hear WBT in full swing in Pre-K-5th grade classrooms! Many teachers who were skeptical are now trying it out! The main point that drove it home with many teachers: it is your classroom and implement WBT strategies to meet the needs of your students! There are teachers who are planning to attend the next WBT workshop in Missouri. I am so excited for the teachers, their students, and WBT taking them to the next higher level of learning!
If you want more information about Whole Brain Teaching, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
School is back in session and we are headed towards the middle of third quarter already! Man, time sure does fly when you're having such a great time! Our first of the year professional development was AWESOME! Andrea came and presented to the elementary school faculty all the ins and outs of Whole Brain Teaching! It took awhile for the faculty to warm-up to WBT and all it has to offer, but by the end of the day, Andrea had won over our building! The next day in our building, you could hear WBT in full swing in Pre-K-5th grade classrooms! Many teachers who were skeptical are now trying it out! The main point that drove it home with many teachers: it is your classroom and implement WBT strategies to meet the needs of your students! There are teachers who are planning to attend the next WBT workshop in Missouri. I am so excited for the teachers, their students, and WBT taking them to the next higher level of learning!
If you want more information about Whole Brain Teaching, please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas break has arrived.....
Well, the countdown is over and Charistmas break has arrived! It is a very needed break for the students, as well as, the teachers! This week was a blur, as there were many special activities, a drama presentation, and assemblies. Add to the mix, my class and their WBT debut video. If you are interested, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmsFOlrQp0
I am proud of my students and I believe they showcased the 5 step lesson format in an appropriate manner. The critical thinking piece comes in as the students keep a moon journal and create a moon phase brochure. I love the 5 step lesson format and if you want more information please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Lastly, I am super excited for our professional development when we return from Christmas break! A WBT implementor will be presenting to my whole building! I know this Spring will bring lots of Mighty Oh Yeahs, as the teachers begin to use WBT in their classrooms!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmsFOlrQp0
I am proud of my students and I believe they showcased the 5 step lesson format in an appropriate manner. The critical thinking piece comes in as the students keep a moon journal and create a moon phase brochure. I love the 5 step lesson format and if you want more information please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Lastly, I am super excited for our professional development when we return from Christmas break! A WBT implementor will be presenting to my whole building! I know this Spring will bring lots of Mighty Oh Yeahs, as the teachers begin to use WBT in their classrooms!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
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